Midpoint

The teetering midpoint of the college experience includes… running out of clean clothes before you’ve realized it, begrudgingly admitting sometimes Pierce has better meals than you have time to cook, and realizing you’re far enough in now that there’s no point in not getting your degree. Not that, you know, you ever had second thoughts. But if you did it wouldn’t matter at this point anyways – something like that sunk cost theory your BT244 prof keeps talking about, right?

It’s more than just the time spent here thus far, though. It’s also the involvement on campus that makes it something unique. The reality is, there are over three hundred colleges and universities within the United States that offer mechanical engineering degrees at the undergraduate level (assuming you can follow that mechanical engineering is specifically being used in this case to create an informal basis of comparison). So you ask yourself and your friends ask themselves, why did I end up here? And with that comes all the creative answers. Some people ended up here because they wanted to be close to home, others far away. Some people had Stevens as their top choice, others their safety they had to fall back on. Regardless of how you end up here, there is admittedly something unique about the student body. I mean where else would jokes about problem-solving skills go so far as here within a literal institute of technology?

At the beginning of this calendar year, I had the opportunity to – in the midst of another dreaded distance set during practice – picture the kind of person I wanted to be by the end of the year. I realized that one of the things I wanted to do first and foremost was meet more people. At one point I thought I was a tried and true introvert (which my closest friends laughed at) and now I realize that is a statement so far from fact it isn’t funny. I love people, and especially so getting to know them on more than just a surface level. So, a goal was set during all these endless laps of swimming: meet more people and make more meaningful friendships. But how to accomplish such a thing? By seeking opportunities to do so through various organizations on campus, naturally.

It’s been barely over a month since that goal was set and already it’s something I can say I’ve successfully accomplished, though this just feels like the start. I joined a handful of new clubs, which I am actually involved in. I rushed a sorority, which has been fantastic so far :), I got a job, and, with regard to the Stute, was recently elected for the position of Managing Editor, which I am super excited about. 

There’s a key difference I’ve taken note of that makes the difference between doing something and doing something well, and it has nothing to do with skill. Rather, the word I like to put to it is vision. It was difficult to stay on top of the organizations I was involved with last semester and, though I’m involved with so much more this semester it’s significantly easier. Why? I have a vision now as to who I want to become, not just a view of who I am presently. And that person is hardworking, involved, and dedicated. I don’t think success would be a proper thing to put into this vision because it’s something that will come along naturally if all the other elements fall into place. So there you have it: the origin story of a girlboss, right here at the midpoint of college.

Second-Year Freshman is an Opinion column used to explore the unique experiences of Sophomore students who studied remotely their freshman year during the coronavirus pandemic, and are now experiencing campus life for the first time during the 2021-2022 academic year.